What not to eat AIH

[Aztec632]

Hi. I was told that with AIH you can eat 'as normal' which I take as no changes required to existing diet. I am not overweight and eat all the good stuff i.e veggies and fruit on a daily basis. I love my dairy and eat plain unsweetened full fat yoghurt and cheese and full fat butter. I have a bowl of porridge most days. However I eat chocolate on a daily basis and I am finding it difficult to give it up. I eat dark chocolate which I uderstand is good for you in moderation but I do eat it on a daily basis and it is sugar! No more than 6 squares. I really look forward to it. On the odd occasion I have a cream cake. Maybe once a month. There is so much talk these days about giving up sugar. I would be interested to know if you too eat what you want or have you made any changes to your diets and do you believe the food choices we make have an impact on the condition long term? I know that everyone is different but I am curious so zny feed back would be much appreciated.

[AyrshireK]

There is no specific diet for Auto Immune Hepatitis although some folks on the AIH Facebook page seem to try dairy free and gluten free but really all you need is a good, well balanced diet. The odd treat isn't going to do you any harm but do watch if you are on steroids longish term as they can make you prone to developing steroid induced diabetes.

[Aztec632 in reply to AyrshireK]

Many thanks for your reply. I finished steroid treatment at the end of January and now just on Azathioprine. I do keep a check on my blood sugars and all seem ok. However I did notice they were higher whilst on the steroid treatment. I was on them for 9 months. Thanks again for your advice.

[Cat-B]

Keep your chocolate lol, it’s salt that’s got to go, so no processed food ( check your cheese ) try using herbs and spices instead of salt when cooking. It’s tricky to begin with but easy once you’re used to it! If you like to eat out try to reduce the number of times ( restaurants and cafes tend to use a lot of salt!) good luck

[Aztec632 in reply to Cat-B]

Thanks! Good news on the chocolate 🤗I never cook with salt and I don't eat ready meals. I eat the cheese mainly 2 reasons...to help keep calorie intake up and in the mornings my blood pressure is on the lower end of the scale since coming off the steroids for some reason (maybe still re adjusting) so it helps bring that up a bit if necessary so that I can then have my atenelol (beta blocker) for anxiety which also lowers blood pressure 🙈 and as for going out to eat...that seems a distant memory!

Thanks again for your reply. I hope you are having a good day.

[Oldbits]

Hi, sounds like you're doing all the right things already. My hubby has AIH and other problems and on steroids for nearly 5 years, off them now thankfully and took nearly 6 months to lose the last side effects of them. On suppressant etc now. But the advice he was given is no salt no alcohol no processed meats reduce sugar intake (hes a terrible sweet eater) Eat healthy and exercise, rest when your body tells you. We go out to eat once a week and are careful about what we choose, he loves a steak. Good luck.

[Aztec632 in reply to Oldbits]

Thank you for your reply. 5 years on steroids is a long time! We are lucky to have life saving drugs. The side effects can be very challenging as your husband knows very well. I was lucky enough to come off the steroids after 9 months and I thought that was a long time. Now just the Azathioprine but then this is all new to me.I am guessing that the no salt is aimed at your husband's other problems?? We do need some salt don't we. I eat canned fish which has salt. I am very careful with regards to intake though and never go over the recommended daily amount.

I can definitely relate to the sweet tooth 😁

All the best

[Oldbits in reply to Aztec632]

The no salt is because of the liver damage caused by the AIH so he stores a lot of water. It's hard to avoid completely as it's in everything, cheese etc. We avoid ready meals, pizza etc but you have to enjoy something so a jacket spud or steak at the pub even a homemade burger on the odd ocassion. You can get a bit paranoid....reading labels. He now has decompensated liver sadly, but AIH is manageable if caught early. Someone gave me good advice when he was diagnosed and that was avoid google.... he has turned things around a bit with diet etc and has some really good days now. Wish you all the best, dont feel guilty about the occasional chocolate 😃

[Aztec632 in reply to Oldbits]

Sorry to hear that your husband's liver is now decompensated. Its nice that he has some really good days. Was he diagnosed late then? It is all so scary. None of us know what the future holds do we. I dont Google half as much as I used to in the beginning. All we can do is take each day as it comes.

I hope you are coping ok with it all too.